Hopelessness and a Light in the Darkness: Holistic Counseling

Jun 9, 2020

Though most people enjoy a good drama or action packed movies or novels for entertainment; the reality of conflict in the day to day lives of people is a far cry from entertainment, especially for those who are in the midst of some kind of personal issue or pitfall in their own lives. Often, people seek help from a higher power, a support group of some sorts, or even conventional therapies, such as counselling or western medicine. As real, everyday people begin to experience the manifestations of conflict and lack homeostasis, whether internal or external, in their personal lives, they reach out to whoever is within their grasp for help; if they in fact find themselves searching out for help in the first place.

For those seeking out guidance, there is a certain inculcated and natural path for them to pursue; many a person will quickly make an appointment with their primary care physician to see what can be done to alleviate whatever the symptom they may be exhibiting. It is less frequent that a person will take time to be introspective and consider why and how they may have come to find themselves dealing with a particular issue.

But what if, in the non-life-threatening and non-emergency situations people did take a moment to stop, assess and begin the process of understanding rather than making that appointment to see their doctor? What if healing can come from more sources than just those that most people conventionally and aptly consider at first glance.

As one begins to awaken unto themselves, they realize that they are in fact a multidimensional being; they are more than just matter, but are made up of the energy that flows and dances all throughout the existing cosmos. These dimensions, particularly where the holistic being is under consideration include the body, mind and soul. These facets considered, the inclusion of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimension of the multidimensional being are integral to the complete health of a person.

There are times when western medicine will claim that nothing left can be done; that the odds are impossible. But is this true? Dr. Deforia Lane, author of Music as Medicine, spent a great deal of time working severely mentally handicapped children that, by some people, might be considered impossible cases. However ,Lane worked with these children utilizing music therapy, she realized something brilliant; this is quoted by Lane..

“ Whith almost all children I worked with at Raub, no matter how profoundly retarded or alone, I usually found some opening, some rip in the curtain that separates them from the rest of the world, that traps them in a broken body. I kept looking for it, praying for grace, finally spotting the tear through which we could give each other something beautiful: a song, a few notes, a laugh. The break may be tiny, open only for a flash, and then its gone…but the opportunity nonetheless was there, for connection, for touch, for God’s grace in an otherwise graceless life–a transforming and transformed moment”

Yet the beauty of the situation is the openness, the possibility. This sort of possibility is rarely found in traditional forms of counseling or western medicine. In a world of hesitancy for traditional treatments, holistic counselors have the ability to see or feel the cracks, and know how to enter to rebuild, with the person , what’s going on from the inside-out. Sometimes, it’s necessary to reexamine what possibilities means: “ The word incurable, which can be so frightening to so many people, means to me that this particular condition cannot be cured by any outer means and that we must go within to find the cure.. I immediately took responsibility for my own healing. I read and investigated everything I could on alternative ways to assist my healing process…I seemed to be lead to exactly the right people”( by author Louise Hay, You can Heal Your Life)

In many cases , the “right person” can be a holistic counselor who can aid a person on their journey, helping them to heal and leading them down avenues they may not have followed on their own. I feel one of the most important things to remember in this is the opportunity for possibility; holistic counseling is exactly that kind of opportunity! It’s a possible gateway to within, as Louise Hay speaks of…”it is an open door to the alternative and possibility”.

Love and light

Dr. Dee